Search Results for: guys read

Guys Read: True Stories

December 6, 2014 by Jennifer

Spiders, shipwreck, elephants, dental care, singing the blues: you’ll be wiser about all of these topics when you read Guys Read: True Stories, the newest collection edited by Jon Scieszka.

This is a collection of nonfiction works, which my 5th grade son happily devoured. As a part of his curriculum, they have explore different kinds of reading which includes fiction, non-fiction and poetry. This was the first book I suggested, and the short small bites of informative writing whetted his appetite for me. He’s been surprised to find that he enjoys biographies “as long as the writing is good.”

The collection has “good writing” from Scieszka, Nathan Hale, Candace Fleming, Nathan Hale, Thanhha Lai, Sy Montgomery and more. And just like the writers aren’t all guys, please don’t assume that guys are the only ones who will appreciate reading these. I loved the balance of humor, facts, and illustrations (one story is even told completely in comic form). Some are a bit gory or gross or cringe-worthy, but some in the tween and teen market like that sort of thing. If your child isn’t one of them, I would avoid this one. I also think that the topics covered are most appropriate for 5th grade and up.

Any of the books in this series (see links below) would make great gifts for 10 – 14 year old readers in your life.

Guys Read: The Sports Pages {Review and Giveaway}

July 2, 2012 by Dawn

Whether it’s as a member of a team or as a solo effort instead, athletes’ experiences often make for exciting and intense stories. With Guys Read: The Sports Pages, editor Jon Scieszka has gathered together ten such stories from middle grade authors and a few athletes themselves. Intended for readers ages 9 to 12, this collection will bring laughter and maybe even some inspiration.

To read more of my thoughts, click over to my review of The Sports Pages at 5 Minutes for Mom. I predict that I won’t be the only one talking about a particular short story in this mix, “I Will Destroy You, Derek Jeter,” a wild and hilarious tale of one boy’s grudge against the Yankee favorite. Even though I’m not the target audience, I found myself grabbing this book every time I had a few minutes to sit down and read.

Be sure to leave a comment over at the full review to win a copy of the book for a young reader in your life. (Or for yourself! I happen to be a huge fan of middle grade fiction!)

Dawn hopes to spend much of her summer with a book in hand. She’ll have to put it down occasionally to pay some attention to her long-lost blog, my thoughts exactly.

Guys Read: Thriller

September 14, 2011 by Jennifer

Guys Read: Thriller is the second in a series edited by Jon Scieszka (following after Funny Business, which I rated as a 5 Star Read). The goal is the same — to bring 10 stories in one genre from a veritable who’s who in children’s authors.

The “thriller” genre is a little broader than the humorous stories in the first volume, but they are all suspenseful in some way. The majority are ghost stories, with four of them being honest-to-goodness ghost stories (or the case of a mistaken ghost). There are also a few real whodunnit mysteries, a monster, an alien, and a pirate crew. I like the fact that the tone and subject is so different from story to story. Because of this, all kids probably won’t like all stories equally, but perhaps they’ll be exposed to a genre that they had avoided before, such as the more realistic “Pirate,” or the heartfelt “Believing in Brooklyn.”

My favorite story is probably “Believing in Brooklyn” by the heretofore unknown to me Matt De La Pen~a. There is a real element of suspense as the reader and protagonist try to figure out why all these mysterious magical things are happening, but the main character, Benny, is fleshed out so well as a nice kid who is worried about his grandmother and carries a bit of the weight of the world on his shoulders, that he’s stuck with me.

Anthony Horowitz’s “The Double Eagle Has Landed” is a classic heist thriller that kept me turning pages and smiling at the narrator’s strong and wry voice.

Other fantastic authors contributing to this anthology are M.T. Anderson, Walter Dean Myers, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Gennifer Choldenko, Bruce Hale, James Patterson, and Patrick Carman.

These stories are a little longer, most between 20 – 30 pages, which is a just-right length in my opinion. They are long enough to really challenge and engage a reader in a more in-depth story, yet still holds the appeal of a short story collection.

If the pattern holds true, I guess we can expect the 3rd volume in September 2012, but I wouldn’t mind if it came out sooner. The Guys Read Website indicates that the next up in the Guys Read Library is a volume of Non-fiction, followed by Sports stories. Sounds good to me!

CONTENT NOTE: Ghosts and ghouls aside, this collection is not overly gruesome or crude. It’s a solid middle-grade read that will appeal to boys and girls who are fans of this genre (even though the main characters are all boys).

I am very happy to be able to give away a copy of this book to one of you. It doesn’t publish until 9/20, so you can take advantage of the low amazon pre-order price while you wait to see if your number is drawn. Just leave a comment if you’d like to win, and we’ll announce the winner on 9/28. This giveaway is closed.

Don’t miss a thing: Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed or video reviews on YouTube. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

The winners of the What’s the Big Idea? workbooks are

#1 Katy
#2 Pam

Jennifer Donovan is a reader and the proud (and still pinching-herself-surprised) mother of two readers, one guy and one gal. She blogs at Snapshot.

Guys Read: Funny Business

September 14, 2010 by Jennifer

When I heard that this book was coming out, I was excited. My 11-year-old daughter is a bookworm, but still loves humor. My 6-year-old son can read well, but reading doesn’t always grab his attention, so I know that it’s going to be up to me to provide him with books that interest and entice him.

I previewed this book with that in mind — wondering if it would please my tween daughter, and also wanting to store up some great resources for my son a few years down the road.

Guys Read: Funny Business is wonderful and fit the bill on both counts.

The authors who contribute the short stories in this book are a veritable who’s who of children’s writers: Jon Scieszka (who also edited the book and is the mastermind behind the Guys Read site), Kate DiCamillio, Jeff Kinney, Eoin Colfer and many more.

As the title suggests, these stories all have one thing in common — they are funny. The voice is good and conversational, which makes these great to read-aloud, either parent to child or child to parent. They also touch on some important issues such as friendship, courage, integrity and fitting in.

And just because these stories are funny and are targeted towards reluctant readers, don’t think that means that they lack literary merit. I love the creativity and imagination that flows from great children’s writing. Take for example the first sentences of the first story in the book “Best of Friends” by Mac Barnett: “Ernest was a nerd, but it was fourth grade: we were all nerds. Even the best of us was shackled to some fatal flaw.”

This story along with “Dear Lady Author” by Jon Scieszka and Kate DiCamillio were my favorites (that one had Amanda and me laughing out loud as I read it aloud). I know I already mentioned that these stories are great to read aloud, but it bears repeating: they make great read-alouds.

Do yourself a favor — preorder Guys Read: Funny Business (which publishes September 21), buy it for your child’s teacher’s class library, or put it on your child’s Christmas wish list. It’s wonderful, and it’s just volume one in the Guys Read library. I can’t wait for future books in the Guys Read series: Nonfiction, Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller/Mystery, and Sports (edited to add a link to the Guys Read: Thriller book).

I’ve marked it a 5-Star Read because I love the idea of the book, and then it lived up to its promise, with me enjoying each and every story.

Content Note: In an effort to appeal to boys (and honestly to just meet them where they are), there is a fair bit of potty humor, and “The Bloody Souvenir” speaks for itself — reading it aloud with my daughter, we were both grimacing. Most of the boys in the stories are in 4th grade and older, and I think that’s a good recommended age to begin enjoying this book.

Don’t miss a thing:
Check out our current giveaways.
Subscribe to our feed or video reviews on YouTube.
Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Managing editor Jennifer Donovan is not a guy. She does read, and she is married to a guy who was once a little boy, and she’s raising a little guy. She blogs about non-gender-bending topics at Snapshot.

Tough Guys Have Feelings Too

December 3, 2015 by Dawn

Superheroes, cowboys, and ninjas can be found in the pages of many picture books, but we usually just get to see one side of them as they fight or protect. In Keith Negley’s Tough Guys Have Feelings Too young children get to see a bit more of these types of characters’ more human and emotional sides.

Through bright, bold illustrations, these tough guys are portrayed in full costumes or gear in their particular environments. An astronaut floats in outer space with a melancholy expression visible through his helmet as he looks out upon the faraway Earth. Upon closer inspection, a photo of a woman and child is seen in his hand, giving young readers a clue about his apparent sadness. A cowboy being thrown from his horse looks as distressed as can be expected in the situation, as well. In what is my personal favorite illustration, a peg-legged, eye-patched pirate stands with his shovel poised to start digging while looking upon a map’s bright red X. A single tear can be seen escaping his eye, and looking at the dozens of holes surrounding him, his frustration is understandable.

A knight, a superhero, a race car driver, a sea captain, and a motorcycle rider join the others in a variety of challenging situations, too. The text of the book is straightforward and simple to understand, emphasizing that bravery and strength do not preclude negative feelings. The message is far from preachy, though there is a valuable lesson to be learned here, important for all children to hear, but especially for young boys who sometimes need to be reassured that all emotions are normal and okay to express.

The text and the illustrations are perfectly paired, with a quiet tone to the words and much emotion and story conveyed by the pictures, which are colorfully appealing to young children and have a modern graphic art feel that can be mutually appreciated by adults, as well. Regardless of the gender of your child, this book is a must-add to your home library collection.

5 Books That Hooked My Non-Reader {Friday’s Five}

April 11, 2014 by Nancy

To call my 10 year old son a non-reader is a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. Like many parents, especially those who love to read, I’ve read to both of my boys since birth. Board books, picture books, early readers, we’ve read them all. Bedtime has always been our time to read, and that has continued for Alex, who has been reading independently for a few years now and moved from our family reading time in the loft to his bean bag in his room. During the school year he has required reading that’s part of his homework, sometimes it’s a book they’re reading in class, but often he just has to read. If he had his way, he would read graphic novels, sports facts, or even his little brother’s picture books. But in fifth grade, reading Captain Underpants for the fiftieth time just doesn’t cut it in my book (ha – no pun intended).

Here are five books or series that he has not only agreed to read, but often flew through in only a handful of sittings.

1. Guys Read – The Sports Pages, edited by Jon Scieszka. My son loves sports. He loves playing, watching, and talking about sports. Why it didn’t occur to me earlier that he might like to read about sports, I have no idea. Actually that’s not true, as you’ll see in my next item, I knew he liked to read sports facts. But the Guys Read books are collections of short stories, all written by children’s and middle grade authors. He loved the bits of sports trivia (“Mom, is it true that Bill Buckner let a ball go through his legs, causing the Red Sox to lose the ’86 World Series to the Mets?”), the different authors, and well, the sports.

2. Any book of records or facts. During my time as a reviewer here on 5M4B, I’ve had the opportunity to review a few different records books, including Guinness World Records and Sports Illustrated Kids Big Book of Why. One of the best purchases I’ve ever made for him is another one from SI Kids — Top 10 Lists of Everything in Football. And the Weird But True series by National Geographic Kids is frequently borrowed from the school library. Basically if it has facts, awesome, if it has sports facts, even better.

3. The Origami Yoda series by Tom Angleberger. Star Wars, Origami, realistic characters, what’s not to love? The latest in the series, Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue, continues the McQuarrie Middle School kids’ fight against the ridiculously inane standardized test videos they have to sit through instead of going to their beloved specials, this time with an unlikely ally.

4. Two-Minute Drill by Mike Lupica. This is the first in a series of sports-related books by the well-known sports writer. Each book in the Comeback Kids series features a different athlete struggling with issues that kids can relate to – making their parents proud, sportsmanship, conflicts with other kids. Alex at first balked at this book when I handed it to him, and ended up having to repeatedly tell him to turn off the light and go to bed.

5. The Big Nate novels (not graphic novels) by Lincoln Peirce. While he does enjoy the graphic novels too, he also really likes the novels. Fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid looking for something similar will enjoy Big Nate.

There’s a whole world of sports-related middle grade novels that he hasn’t even tackled yet (ha – I’m full of puns in this post) and those should keep him busy for some time.

Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Amy Poehler on Reading at Bedtime with Your Kids #FreeBirds

October 27, 2013 by Jennifer

This post is the result of a press trip I took for the new movie Free Birds, sponsored by Relativity Media.

Interviewing celebrities is fun (It’s a rough job, but someone’s gotta do it). I especially enjoy taking place in the parent blogger roundtables, because we all feed off one another, and there’s always a great energy there. I think that the actors notice it too. It feels different than the same-old questions.

In fact, I’m not sure how often they have a mom blogger/book blogger asking them about reading, but I do every chance I get. Amy Poehler opened the door wide for that one. She mentioned books several times. First when she was talking about watching movies together as a family (read more at 5 Minutes for Mom), she said that when trying to pick movies, she gives her preschoolers what they want: “They like stories right now about kids acting badly. They’re really into that.”

She elaborated:

They are really into those books, do you guys know those David books? Like No, David. It’s all about kids acting badly. They are fascinated with it.

Then someone asked her about working with Jimmy Hayward, the director of Free Birds, who also directed her in Horton Hears a Who. She said that she was excited to work with him again, but then she went there again — bringing up books:

We had a really good time on Horton Hears a Who because I love that movie, and I love that book. That book is great source material. That book still, when you read it to your kid, is so good, the message behind that book.

So I asked her about her habit of reading to her kids, and she said that they read every night. It’s something that she enjoys and specifically as a working mother, it’s something that helps her connect: “We read all the time. They love books. It’s really important, as you guys know, to read books. It’s fun to read them. Especially when you’re a working mother, it feels like a really good day to connect at the end of the night, to talk to them without forcing them to talk to you.”

Her tastes seem to run classic, she said they were currently running through the George and Martha books. She also said that she was doing what I loved doing as a booklover, sharing childhood favorites. Here’s her thoughts on a classic (meaning old), but unknown at least to me, book, which she has shared with her oldest, Archie.

Amy said, “My favorite kids’ book is called Mr. Pine’s Purple House. It’s a book about a guy who paints his house purple, and everybody else copies him in the neighborhood, and he gets all mad about it. I think I just liked it for personal reasons.”

I love talking about books with anyone, be they well-known actresses or YOU, so what about you?

Are any of these titles familiar to you? Have you shared them with your kids? Or which childhood favorite have you shared with your kids?

I personally remembered reading Are You My Mother? as a child and could barely make it through without tearing up when I shared it with my kids. I also loved the more obscure Moose, Goose and Little Nobody by Ellen Raskin (which I have my old copy of).

We also talked to Amy Poehler about family traditions. Read more about that on 5 Minutes for Mom, and stay tuned for more coverage, including my thoughts on the film and a fun giveaway.

Free Birds opens November 1

Visit the official website
Like FREE BIRDS on Facebook
Subscribe on YouTube
Follow @FreeBirdsMovie on Twitter and Instagram #FreeBirds

Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Breadcrumbs, a 5-Star Read

September 28, 2011 by Dawn

While I’ve been an avid reader my whole life, up until a few years ago, it had been a long, long time since I had experienced what’s known as “middle grade fiction.” Not since I was in the 9 to 12 age range had I read this genre, but it reentered my life a while ago as my oldest child began reading at this level. Suddenly, I found myself returning to the literary worlds created for older children, often written in their own pre-adolescent voice. Oh what a world this can be.

I’ve been purposefully avoiding all the buzz about Anne Ursu’s new middle grade novel, Breadcrumbs. As with most books I’m planning on reviewing myself, I didn’t want others’ opinions to influence my own, but I also just wanted to know very little about the book before getting into it, because the synopsis itself was very minimal, yet intriguing. From the back of the book:

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it’s up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.”

What I found was complete magic.

Magic, fairy tales, and an alternate reality all come together in a young girl’s world, when the friendship that makes her life feel whole suddenly and inexplicably disappears. Though her active imagination should make her even more wary of going off on her own to make things right, she bravely pushes aside her fears of the darkness of the world and risks everything to save her friend.

Hazel, the fifth grade protagonist, is devastated after Jack, her next door neighbor and long-time best friend, just drops out of her life. There was a slight argument, and then Jack had an accident, and suddenly he was different. The second part of the story leaves the reality with which we are all familiar, but enters a world of characters and fairy tale (the original kind, remember, a la Andersen and the Brothers Grimm) that will surely entertain readers.

My eleven year old son was pulled in to the story immediately, and we read most of the first half aloud together. (Time constraints forced us to finish it separately, but I must make a high recommendation for this as a read aloud!) He says he really liked the story, how unexpected things kept happening, and how it was incredibly imaginative. For me, I was blown away by the writing itself. Beautiful doesn’t even begin to cover it. It was wrought with emotion, and everything that Hazel feels is so perfectly captured in the author’s words. The rich language of the narrative paints a vivid picture, and though my advance copy had several blank pages with the words “Art to come” printed on it, based upon the gorgeous cover, I have confidence that the handful of illustrations included in the novel will be wonderful.

Breadcrumbs is the type of middle grade novel that young readers will enjoy, and their parents (and teachers, too!) will be happy they’re reading. The language and storytelling is complex, and the plot encourages readers to think critically about what is happening, and the many, many literary references dropped throughout the story will make kids chuckle to know that Hazel loves to read the same wonderful books they enjoy, too. I’m joyfully applying our Five Star Reads label to this lovely book, and I hope that both children and their parents will choose to spend some time with Hazel as she heads off on a trail to find her friend.

Two lucky readers will be receiving their own copy of Breadcrumbs, along with bookplates signed by the author Anne Ursu. Please leave a comment here to be entered, and this giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. We’ll announce our winners on 10/12. The giveaway is closed.

We have several winners to announce:

The winner of Guys Read: Thriller is #17 Martha C.
The winner of I Don’t Know How She Does It is #21 June.
The winner of Rules of Civility is #10 Rosita.

Don’t miss a thing: Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed or video reviews on YouTube. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Dawn loves to be swept away by a good book, from novels all the way down to picture books, a good story is a good story. She tells her own story on her blog, my thoughts exactly.

On Reading: Writing for a Middle Grade Audience…

April 10, 2011 by Guest Contributor

… Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About the Details and Just Have Fun

I’ve been asked to discuss writing for a middle grade audience. These are the kids who have moved on from picture books and early readers, but maybe don’t yet relate to the characters or situations in young adult or teen novels. There can definitely be a tricky balance in writing books for this group of readers. You want to challenge them and give them stories and characters they relate to, entertain them, and still leave room for deeper complexity in the story and themes and all of that other stuff.

I think the secret to writing successful middle grade fiction is to not worry about that delicate balance. For me, the trick to finding that right mixture of content in middle grade fiction is simply to focus on writing a fun book, with a real middle grade voice that speaks directly to the kids.

Anyway, when I started writing The Fourth Stall, (linked to Dawn’s review) here are some questions I didn’t ask myself:

Well, how can I keep this appropriate for middle grade kids?
How should I incorporate such and such theme?
How can I get this idea across to kids?
What lesson do I want to teach them?
What if they think I’m talking down to them?
What do I want my book to be about?
How do I make sure it’s not too complicated or hard to read?
How can I get kids to think my book is cool?
What if they don’t like it?
What if they think the guy who wrote this must be a loser?
Oh no, what if they can tell that I’m an adult who doesn’t relate to them anymore and who also likes to eat jelly with a spoon?
What if they want to feed my book to their little brother or sister?
Maybe parents will hate me for putting instructions on how to start fires in the book?
I can’t put this in the book, can I?
What happens if I do?
OMG, I better not put that in there, I want to make sure parents like this book, too.
I might be sort of hungry now?
I deserve a nacho break, right?

None of those questions crossed my mind. Except maybe the last two.

But the point is, I think the key to writing for a middle grade audience, and maybe any audience, is not to over think things. Not to over analyze or stress about technical content or details or peripheral stuff. I think writing a great story that middle grade readers will relate to all comes down to one thing: having fun. Embrace your inner child. Or, you know, whatever.

The only question I asked myself before I start writing my first middle grade book is this: What would be the coolest, most action-packed, fun book that I never got to read as a 12 year old?

And the answer was The Fourth Stall. When writing it, the same logic applied. If I wasn’t having fun writing about my characters, then why would readers have fun reading about them? Of course there is hard work involved, and eventually details and content will need to be addressed in some way. But, initially, writing for a middle grade audience was all about having fun and writing what I would have wanted to read as a kid. And if you write a story organically, one driven by the desire to entertain, then I think the depth and complexity and themes, and all of that other stuff will start to develop on their own. (Also with the help of a great editor.)

Although, to be fair, it may be easier for me to do this than it might be for others. My social and psychological development pretty much ended when I was 13, so I’m basically an overgrown kid myself in a lot of ways. I still love video games, action figures, playing sports, toys, Lego, laughing at weird and gross stuff, and not cleaning my bedroom. So writing for a middle grade audience comes fairly naturally for me. If the writing entertains me, then I assume it will also entertain middle school kids. And I hope it does. Because if not, then I’ll fight them. After school, 3:17, by the monkey bars.

Chris Rylander is the author of The Fourth Stall (linked to Dawn’s review and giveaway), recently named a Spring 2011 Kids’ Indie Next List selection and showered with praise like this from author Jon Scieszka: “Here is an original – a story that really gets how guys are pals. It’s also a story about sixth grade wiseguys that is funny, mysterious, and true to the heart of what really matters when you are in middle school. Do yourself a favor. Read it. Now.”

Read more about Chris Rylander on his site www.chrisrylander.com.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader: Books on Screen

December 16, 2010 by Guest Contributor

It’s Z-Dad and the Z-Kids from Bookie Woogie signing in! Thanks so much to 5 Minutes For Books for letting us share our thoughts on the latest Narnia movie. Earlier this year, our family re-read C. S. Lewis’ books for our own little “Summer of Narnia.” For our thoughts on the books (revealing additional information on the characters and plot) you are welcome to peek here. The following discussion about the movies picks up where that prior review leaves off…

Gracie (age 10): We watched The Voyage of the Dawn Treader!
Elijah (age 5): It was awesome.
Gracie: It was so awesome. I think it is my favorite out of the three Narnia movies so far.
Isaac (age 12): It’s very different from the first two. The first two movies had realistic battles and stuff. But this one had more fantasy things — mystical creatures and crazy places.
Lily (age 7): People should see this movie. They should, they should, they should.
Gracie: They changed the movie completely from the book. It still has Caspian, Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace.
Lily: But the main point in the book is sailing to the end of the world and finding the seven lords.
Gracie: In the movie, they are trying to save everyone from this evil mist by getting swords and laying them down on Aslan’s Table.
Dad: There was never much explanation as to what exactly was going on with the mist and swords.
Isaac: I don’t think that matters too much.
Gracie: The story goes a lot faster in the movie theater. They cut out a lot of parts from the book. I was getting kind of anxious when I wasn’t seeing Deathwater Island in the show. Then I went, phwew when it came.
Isaac: But I was surprised — they fit pretty much every scene from the book. They just shuffled stuff around and shortened things.
Gracie: The one part I didn’t like was the slave trader scene. Caspian just came in and said “I’m your king!”
Dad: They really sped it up. They made it a quick scene instead of long and drawn out.
Gracie: Yeah. And I think that stinks.
Dad: You would have rather stayed in the theater for another half hour just to watch them overturn a table and float some ships by?
Gracie: It was not an okay part to skip.
Dad: Really? That’s my least favorite part of the book. If I was making the movie, I would have skipped everything about that island.
Gracie: What? What!
Dad: So what would you have skipped instead?
Gracie: Nothing. I would just make the movie longer. They should totally redo this movie. They should make it four or five hours long so they can get in all the detail.
Dad: Five hours?
Isaac: That would not be fun to watch.
Dad: You guys would have gotten hungry.
Gracie: That’s what popcorn is for.
Dad: Or maybe that’s what a book is for. There you can have all your detail.
Gracie: Yeah. I guess so.
Elijah: Boys and girls should read the book and see the movie.
Gracie: Start the book as soon as you can. Then go watch the movie while it is still in theaters. Then finish the book. Actually, you can do it in whatever order you want. Just make sure you read the book.
Lily: It is fun to read and imagine how people look – they can be however you want them to.
Gracie: I like making things up in my mind.
Lily: I think I like my imagination better too.
Dad: Who was your favorite character in the movie?
Gracie: Eustace was my favorite actor.
Dad: Everyone in that theater loved him! I was surprised how much everyone responded to him.
Gracie: He was hilarious! “Where in the blazes am I!”
Dad: And what was your favorite part of the movie?
Elijah: Everything was awesome.
Gracie: The sea serpent was cool.
Lily: It was good they saved it for the end.
Gracie: The final battle with the sea serpent was definitely the best part of the movie.
Isaac: The sea serpent was earlier in the book, but they made it happen at the very end for the movie. For effect. It made it more exciting.
Lily: They switched around the order of the adventures so they could make the fun ones at the end. The cool ones. They put all the boring ones at the beginning.
Dad: The only section of the book that doesn’t have a single picture is the sea serpent episode. So how did the movie-serpent compare to your imaginations?
Gracie: Scary. Really freaky!
Dad: Too scary?
Lily: No!
Elijah: To the people inside the movie, he looked scary. But to me, he looked awesome.
Dad: It was the neatest sea serpent I’ve ever seen.
Isaac: I honestly don’t think they copied the sea serpent from anyone else. They invented their own design for this movie.
Dad: Yeah, and it did something… something…
Isaac: Freaky.
Dad: Right!
Isaac: None of us were expecting it.
Dad: We won’t say what it was, but it sure freaked me out! How about you?
Elijah: I was okay.
Dad: Would you want to see one like that in real life?
Elijah: No way.
Dad: Would other five-year-olds like this movie, or would it be too scary?
Elijah: My friend Nathan would think it was cool. But I think Adriana would be scared – just a little tiny bit. I think she would think that the sea serpent was going to eat someone. Nathan would think all of it was cool.
Dad: So, final verdict: thumbs up or thumbs down? Narni-yum or Narni-yuck?
Lily: Narni-yum!
Gracie: Narni-awesome!

You can find weekly book reviews by Isaac, Grace, Lily, and Elijah at their blog Bookie Woogie. You can see samples of their art on their other blog Chicken Nugget Lemon Tooty.

Middle Grade Books for Reluctant Readers

November 1, 2010 by Jennifer

In one respect, I appreciate the tag of “reluctant readers.” On the other hand, I wonder what it conveys. Does it mean that these are sub-par books? Easier than the grade level indicated? Funny? Crude? Depending on the book, you could answer yes or no to any of those. With a son who will soon be looking for “middle grade readers” who is a good reader, but as of now, a bit “reluctant,” I have to admit that books described as appealing to the reluctant reader does catch my eye.

These books have all been nominated for in the Cybils Middle Grade fiction category, and have male protagonists, text that isn’t too small, and a length that isn’t too long. They also each have some illustrations, mostly as a doodle in the margin or a half-page line drawing, which does make a reader want to at least flip through it (Hey, maybe picking up the book is half the battle!!).

My Life as a Book, written by Janet Tashjian and illustrated by her 15-year-old son Jake, tells the story of 12-year-old Derek’s summer. Derek is a reluctant reader, in spite of bribery from his mom (one chocolate chip for every page read), and isn’t thrilled about the fact that he has to read three books for school over the summer. I like the fact that the point is made that he does like to read — comic books and the like. He just doesn’t want to read school books, but with the help of a school friend and a camp counselor, he does get through at least one book.

However, he’d rather live an adventure than read about someone else’s. His summer is spent tracking down information about the mysterious drowning of a teen girl, hanging out with his dog Bodie, and generally engaging in boyish fun. I think that this book will appeal to boys and girls from 9 – 12. It is free from the attitude that comes along with many books aimed at this audience, which will appeal to their moms.

Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Peirce is a book that does serve up some attitude. The whole book is about how Nate does not like school, and gets into trouble. It was pretty amusing, and mostly harmless, but those who keep a closer eye on that sort of attitude in media might want to avoid it.

Kids who don’t excel in school will identify that Nate struggles in that way as well. I liked that it was pointed out that he does excel in other areas, like art, and in spite of the trouble he gets into, he seems to be well-liked, even by the teachers who are handing out the detention slips. This book is a lot of fun, and while the typical “I hate school/teachers are dumb” attitude is central to the plot, it’s not going to be news to many older elementary boys.

The Ghostwriter Secret is the 2nd in the Brixton Brothers series. I did not read the first book, and did not feel like I was missing anything when I read this one. Steve Brixton does not have a brother, but he named his detective agency after the Hardy Boysesque series of books he loves to give it some more credibility. After solving a mystery (the subject of book one The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity), 12-year-old Steve has earned a name for himself.

I was first introduced to Mac Barnett, because he contributed a story to Guys Read, but this was the first I had read. This book has a subtle humor — Steve’s way of looking at the world — and a real old-school detective feel. Steve has a little bit of an attitude about his mother’s boyfriend, but he isn’t exactly painted as someone who an adult would respect either.

I would also put The Strange Case of Origami Yoda in this category as well (linked to my full review).

Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter.

Jennifer Donovan has been knee deep in Middle Grade Fiction for the last month or so. She blogs at Snapshot about life with her family, which includes a 12-year-old bookworm and a 6-year-old boy.

On Reading: Hyped

September 5, 2010 by Jennifer

This has been a big month for hype in the publishing industry. In fact, I’m a part of the hype — running an awesome Mockingjay Ipod Touch giveaway and a 39 Clues contest over at 5 Minutes for Mom in honor of these very anticipated books that concluded a popular YA series and a much-read middle-grade series.

As a result of the hype, I actually read the first 39 Clues book, and I was pleasantly surprised. I assumed because they were so short, and colorful, and popular that they weren’t necessarily any good. I was wrong (follow the link for my review).

And just today I posted my review of Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom. I was offered a review copy, and the length and subject matter gave me a little pause. But all I could think of was the hype. I thought that we should review it here — to confirm or contradict all the hype — and so I decided to give it a try (follow the link to my review and you’ll see that I’m really glad I did).

Hype can hurt a book. I don’t know anything about Johnathan Franzen. I don’t know if he’s THE writer best equipped to represent what live in the 21st century is like. I don’t know if he deserves to be on the cover of Time magazine. I don’t know why guys like him get fawned over when completely wonderful writers who happen to be women who happen to write about women’s issues feel like they get passed over critically.

But I know that the hype was the reason that I requested the audiobook. I know that I ended up enjoying — really enjoying — the book, even listening with a critical ear and the mindset of “Prove that this book is worth the hype.”

There are other times I stay away from hype. I was in a neighborhood book club back in the late 90’s. It was that kind of book club, the kind where many of the women didn’t read the book, and even when they did, the discussions never went much further than “I liked it,” or “I didn’t really like it,” or “It would make a good movie.” We read a lot of Oprah books from that era: The Pilot’s Wife, Tara Road and Jewel were a few I remember. After reading a few more of her picks (and seeing the hype that a nod from Ms. Winfrey can give a book), I realized that I didn’t care what kind of books she wanted me to read. They were generally stories about a woman who bucked convention and/or got out from under the yoke of evil oppressive men. . . . but I digress.

Hype has hindered my enjoyment of a few other books (or maybe I wouldn’t have liked them anyway). Literary housewife types love Gilead by Marilynn Robinson, but all of those people also love To Kill a Mockingbird and Peace Like a River, so I sort of stayed away, because when I read Peace Like a River, I was waiting to be wowed, and I just wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, and don’t go saying that I think that TKAM is overhyped, but for me — I just didn’t get it. It’s a nice story. A bit barrier-breaking for its time, I suppose, but reading it in the 21st century doesn’t feel so revolutionary. The first time I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, for a Children’s Literature class I too in college, I have to admit I felt the same way. Everyone said how symbolic it was, and again, though it was a good story, I missed it the life-changing symbolism of a Christian life.

I know I’m making some enemies here, and feel free to jump in and respectfully disagree with me in the comments.

To get back to the point, hype has maybe ruined some books for me, but as I found out this month, it also has served to introduce me to others that I might otherwise have missed.

How does hype affect what you read and how you feel about it? When has hype helped you find a book? When has it hindered your view of it?

Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter. Check out our current giveaways.

5 Star Reads

If we post a review of a book here at 5 Minutes for Books, it means that we think that someone out there would like it. It may not have been our favorite book, but it was worth our time to read and review, and we hope someone likes it. We wanted to distinguish our “must reads,” and so we’ve given them the special 5 Star Reads designation.

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
After You by Julie Buxbaum
Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
So Brave, Young and Handsome by Leif Enger
Hannah’s Dream by Diane Hammond
The Rook by Steven James
Stealing with Style by Emyl Jenkins
Small Wars by Sadie Jones
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Godmother by Carolyn Turgeon
The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

Memoir and Biography:

The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan
My Prison, My Home by Haleh Esfandiari
Boy Alone by Karl Taro Greenfeld
Clara’s War by Clara Kramer
Coop by Michael Perry
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Scratch Beginnings by Adam Shepherd
How to Be Like Walt by Pat Williams
Dough by Mort Zachter

Nonfiction:

Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merriman
On the Go Devotional: Contentment by Lydia Brownback
The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies
Finding An Unseen God by Alicia Britt Chole
5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter by Vicki Courtney
Stubborn Twig, by Lauren Kessler
The Uncommon Woman: Making an Ordinary Life Extraordinary by Susie Larson
Free-Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy
The Grand Weaver, by Ravi Zacharias

Children’s Books — ages 0 – 3, 3 – 6, 6 – 9:

My Name Is Not Isabella by Jennifer Fosberry
The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller
Tiana’s Cookbook: Recipes for Kids edited by Cindy Littlefield
Eye Like and Incredible Books by Play Bac Publishing
Little Hoot and Little Pea, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems
All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon

Children’s Books — ages 9 – 12:

Savvy by Ingrid Law
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, by Trenton Lee Stewart

Books for Tweens and Teens:

The Hunger Games & Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Much Ado About Anne by Heather Vogel Frederick
Meet the Austins by Madeleine L’Engle
Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell
The Strictest School in the World series by Howard Whitehouse
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

Who Done It? edited by Jon Scieszka

March 2, 2013 by Jennifer

Can you imagine the most cantankerous book editor alive? Part Voldemort, part Cruella de Vil (if she were a dude), and worse in appearance and odor than a gluttonous farm pig? A man who makes no secret of his love of cheese or his disdain of unworthy authors? That man is Herman Mildew.

The anthology opens with an invitation to a party, care of this insufferable monster, where more than 80 of the most talented, bestselling and recognizable names in YA and children’s fiction learn that they are suspects in his murder. All must provide alibis in brief first-person entries. The problem is that all of them are liars, all of them are fabulists, and all have something to hide…

I would highly recommend Who Done It? to anyone who reads a lot of YA fiction, and especially those who are major fans of the authors. It is slightly long, with over 70 different authors’ takes on why they did not kill editor Herman Mildew (even though most of them are suspect in some way, and almost all admit to wanting him dead). But I can’t think of one entry that I would have deleted.

As I said, if you are a YA insider, then you’ll love the in jokes (In her entry Emily Jenkins, a beloved children’s author, pokes fun at someone who might use a pen name, when in fact she writes YA under the name of e. lockhardt), not to mention the personality-filled, 1st person, humorous accounts from any author you love. I also found myself looking up several authors whose work I was unfamiliar with, yet whose entry charmed me.

Check out some of the powerhouses featured (children’s and YA authors, but all writing in an adult/young-adult way):

Judy Blundell
John Green
Maureen Johnson
Mo Willems
Elise Broach
Lauren Myracle
Rebecca Stead
Libba Bray

All in all Who Done It? is a very fun read, either to sit down and read straight through, or to pick up here and there when you want a short reading fix.

The only disappointment is that you don’t really get an answer at the end, though the twist is clever in itself, and it hardly had read as a serious fact-gathering mission to that point, so I wasn’t surprised.

CONTENT NOTE: I was familiar with Jon Sciezcka’s GUYS READ anthologies (fantastic!), so I automatically assumed that this was a collection for that same middle-grade 9 – 12 audience. It’s not. It’s definitely young adult, with a bit of mild profanity and some sexual references (concerning affairs and whatnot, though there is no explicit sexual content).

YA Books for Boys, with giveaway

December 14, 2011 by Nancy

There has been big push in recent years to get boys more interested in reading. Jon Scieszka’s Guys Read collection is a good start, but his lists are geared toward middle grade boys, and rightfully so, since that’s when boys who like reading start to lose interest. But there’s still a pretty big gap in boys for books in the Young Adult genre, and 3 new books from Scholastic make good strides in closing that gap.

Markus Zusak won awards for The Book Thief, but years before that book’s release he wrote 3 short novels about Cameron and Ruben Wolfe, teenage brothers from a working class family. After several years out of print, those novels are available in one collection, called Underdogs. The first of the three, The Underdogs, establishes the characters but doesn’t have much of a plot. But the first person narration by younger brother Cam is intelligent and insightful and his view of the world around him more than makes up for the lack of anything happening. Things get going in Fighting Ruben Wolfe, a title with multiple meanings, where Cam and Rube get involved in a fight club of sorts. In the final book, Getting the Girl, Cam falls for one of Rube’s many girlfriends, but realizes his brother is the most important person in his life. Each of the books take place during winter, a year separating each of the events chronicled by Cam, and the cold and dreary setting sets the tone for the books. Cameron grows up, both physically and emotionally, and Zusak’s writing also evolved, with Getting the Girl the best of the three books.

The reviews for The Eleventh Plague and iBoy were written by Elizabeth’s 16-year-old son, Elliot.

The Eleventh Plague The only life Stephen Quinn has ever known has been that of a forager. He and his father live in the ruins of North America, hunting, gathering and trading whatever they can to survive. After his father is injured, Stephen needs help which he finds in a small community of people trying to survive as well. Stephen learns many new things which he has previously had no experience with, things such as school and baseball, etc. But some in the community are suspicious of Stephen, thinking he is a spy for another community a little ways away. These two communities harbor a strong distrust for each other, which soon leads to war after Stephen and a friend play a prank on the strict community leaders, and make them think that the other side is responsible. The elders hire mercenaries to wipe them out, but the people of the community won’t back the elders or mercenaries and attack them. The other community arrives prepared for battle but winds up helping the people fight off the mercenaries. This book, placed in the ruins of nuclear war, sends a clear message, that though humans are capable of great evil, they are also capable of good. This is a great book for anyone who likes to read. Good plot and storyline.

iBoy is a really great book. It’s got a good plot and a fun idea to write about. Tom Harvey wakes up from a coma to find parts of an iPhone lodged in his brain, and that his best friend has been raped. He soon discovers that he can do everything an iPhone can do and more. He can hear all calls, look at all messages, etc. He can access any part of the internet whenever he wants. He decided to punish the gang that raped Lucy. He gets back at them in many ways–he beats them up, gets them in trouble with their gang bosses, etc. This is a very intriguing novel and had me hooked quite quickly; I finished it within 24 hrs of starting it. It has a good story line and the characters are well developed. The book is narrated in the first person, which gives the reader a deeper understanding of Harvey’s conflict. He struggles with what he should do with his power. He is unsure how far to go, who to tell, etc. He struggles with taking things that aren’t his from the internet, even though it is for a good cause, and he knows the people can spare it. When his grandmother needs money, he takes £1 from each of the 15,000 most richest people in the UK. They aren’t going to miss £1, but the money is not his. Once again this is a great book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Scholastic has graciously provided a prize package for one (1) winner, consisting of copies of Underdogs, iBoy and The Eleventh Plague, along with a $50 Visa Cash Card! Leave a comment below to enter, and the winner will be announced on December 28. The Giveaway is closed.

Though this giveaway ends after Christmas, these would make great gifts for teenage boys looking for new material. Girls would enjoy them too.

The winner of The Unexpected Miss Bennet is #19 Beth C.
The winner of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever is #31 Sara.

Don’t miss a thing: Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed or video reviews on YouTube. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter or on Facebook.

Nancy is stockpiling lists of middle grade and YA books for boys. She writes about her 2 boys, books and life in Colorado at Life With My Boys and Books..

Mailbox Monday– August 2

August 1, 2010 by Jennifer

Attention: Mailbox Monday is on the move! For the month of August Chick Loves Lit will be hosting, so be sure to check in over there. We’ve had such a fun time with this meme. We’ve “met” some new book bloggers this way, and we love this opportunity to get our current readers’ thoughts on what’s to come.

JENNIFER

In This Way I Was Saved: A Novel by Brian DeLeeuw appealed to me because he’s a young first time novelist and it is supposed to have a strong voice. I think it’s a little heavy, but I do generally love young first time novelists (see Finny — Okay, okay, I’ll stop mentioning it, if you’ll just read it already) and House of Tomorrow).
I downloaded some great titles on my Kindle for my tween, Amanda, that I found on the free list this week. They are all Christian YA series, and I can’t wait for her to check them out. The books offered free on the Kindle are one of my strongest arguments for buying a Kindle.
- Katy’s New World by Kim Vogel Sawyer — I actually want to read this one myself. It’s about a Mennonite girl who enters public high school.
- Melody Carlon’s first two books in the Carter House Girls series, Mixed Bags and Stealing Bradford.
- Nancy Rue’s Lucy Doesn’t Wear Pink and Lucy’s Perfect Summer
Kyle, 6, thought that Belly Up was for him. He loved the cover, and I do think that it’s the kind of novel that will appeal to him when he’s older, combining a mystery with some solid hippo facts, but Amanda, 11, is more likely to read it now (after I do).
Another awesome book for boys that I’ve already peeked into is a collection edited by Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: Funny Business.

NANCY

I’m happy to report my first set of books to review:

Georgia’s Kitchen by Jenny Nelson – I dove into this book about a NYC chef as soon as it arrived. Review will be posted soon.
Wild Soccer Bunch – this series is wildly popular internationally and has now arrived in the US with the first English language installment, Kevin the Star Striker. With the fall soccer season closing in on us, I look forward to reading this with my own soccer star.
Stay by Allie Larkin – A woman adopts what she thinks is a German shepherd puppy off the internet, but when the dog arrives it turns out to be an enormous Slovakian police dog, who she names Joe. Dealing with Joe helps take her mind off her love life problems and as expected, helps her meet someone new. I’m a big dog lover and looking forward to what sounds like a fun read.

DAWN

It was a slow week, but two books in the mail is always better than none! My nightstand post from the other day actually included these titles already, because my summer reading craze has knocked my pile down very low, so I’m predicting that these books won’t take too long to go from doorstep to final review.

One that arrived this week but already has a bookmark firmly secured a few chapters in is Sarah Pekkanen’s The Opposite of Me. A story of life changes and personal transformation? Exactly my style.
Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie sounds like it will be a mysterious but fun read, complete with kids in need of adult love and care and an old house in need of an exorcism! Can’t say that I’ve read anything like that lately.

LISA

I am so excited about receiving Steven James’ newest thriller featuring Patrick Bowers, The Bishop! I’ve read (and completely enjoyed) the first three novels in the series The Bowers Files and I canNOT wait to begin this one!

We here at 5 Minutes for Books love to hear your thoughts on what we are reading, and what book reviews to come might be of interest to you, so please let us know in the comments.

Each Tuesday we have a different meme that you join in, from Kids’ Picks to What’s on Your Nightstand, to a Children’s Classics challenge. Join Us!

Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter.

The Woman in the Library

May 16, 2022 by Elizabeth

Ok, guys. This is a fun one. You’re going to want to read it.

It opens with a letter from a fan to a writer. Dear Hannah, what are you writing? he asks. They agree that the writer will send chapters to the fan, who will respond with his thoughts. The writer’s Australian, and the fan is actually in Boston where the book is set, so he provides some much-needed local color and information. The first chapter quickly pulls you in, as you read about four random people writing in the Boston Library, all drawn together by a ear-shattering scream, then a body found in a nearby room. The four agree to stay in touch, and become friends.

The breaks between chapters with the fan’s responses pull you out of the story in a way that’s self-reflexive, like a breaking of the fourth wall. There are essentially two stories going on, the world of the book, and the world within a world of the storyline. It’s fascinating. The character of the fan as revealed through his letters is masterfully done, as he inadvertently reveals more and more of himself, all in response to the developing story. Even fans have things to hide, after all. It’s also fascinating to see the author incorporate ideas from the fan–or choose not to follow his suggestions–and then see his responses to that as well.

The story itself is a really good read! The four people team together to solve the case of the murder in the library, and as they discover clues, things keep happening that keep them guessing about one another. Are they all what they seem? Almost certainly not. There are hidden secrets, past choices, things to beware of. At least one of them is a murderer. (Not a spoiler: you learn that early on) But does that have to do with the current case?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Woman in the Library. The characters are well developed, the pacing is masterful, and the clues are tightly held and slowly revealed, in ways that validate one’s reading. I highly recommend it.

No Stone Unturned

March 23, 2020 by Elizabeth

Fiona MacKay designs jewelry–intricate designs based on her Irish heritage that incorporate elements of Celtic art in precious stones and metals. Her great-grandparents emigrated to New York in the 1920s and left a treasure for Fiona–twelve tapestries, handwoven by her great-grandmother, that contain mystical symbols and seem to tell a story, if only that could be interpreted.

Fiona turns for help to Rose Flaherty, an elderly antiquities dealer who also is an expert on all things related to ancient Celts. If she doesn’t know herself, she has a vast network of those who will. But when Fiona comes to the meeting in which Rose was planning to reveal the interpretation of a key part of the tapestry, she finds Rose lying dead. The police say its murder. Soon after that, Fiona’s townhouse is ransacked.

Fiona turns for help to her big brother Ryan, who works for a firm called FI–Forensics Institute. They employ various experts in law enforcement and detective work, from a “claircognizant” named, appropriately enough, Claire, to former FBI people. Ryan himself is a tech person who’s put together an AI program called Yoda that can do wonders. Together they work against time to track down Rose’s killer, figure out his motive, and solve the mystery of the tapestries.

Meanwhile, there’s another person who’s very upset about Rose’s death, a fellow Irishmen named Niall Dempsey. At least that’s his current name. The reader soon learns that Niall is a former IRA sniper who’s still wanted in his home country. Niall is a very evil person, and he’s got designs on those tapestries. But Niall himself doesn’t know who killed Rose, only that his old nemesis from IRA days seems to have come to town.

No Stone Unturned is a fun read. FI employs only young, beautiful people with amazing talents and maverick hearts, and you’re sure it will all work out in the end, but it’s an enjoyable ride. The villains are truly villainous, and the good guys are very sympathetic and highly skilled. Apparently this is part of a series by author Andrea Kane, and I plan to hunt down some of the earlier books. A great read while you’re in quarantine, it will keep your attention.

Purchase Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Catch Up With Andrea Kane:
AndreaKane.com, Goodreads, Twitter, & Facebook!

Asma’s Indian Kitchen

May 9, 2019 by Elizabeth

When one is reviewing a cook book, one usually tries to make 2 or 3 recipes from the book, but with this one I decided to go all out. My family and I love Indian food, and I have some much beloved and well-used curry recipes from an Indian-East African friend, so I was excited to review this book and add some ideas to my repertoire. I decided to make an Indian feast for some friends. The following week, I did another Indian feast. Each night, I made 2 curries, a yogurt salad, some type of bread, and rice. One week I made Indian rice pudding. I attempted (and, honestly, succeeded at) 8 recipes from the book, and they were all fantastic. This book is destined to be well-used and much loved in my house. If you like Indian food at all, I urge you to get yourself a copy. Some recipes looked to be fairly complicated, and I did “cheat” a wee bit on spices–more on that below–but I found the instructions clear and not difficult to follow.

Zafran Murgh Korma, from Asma’s Indian Kitchen, p. 102

The first week, I made saffron chicken korma (zafran murgh korma), meatball curry (so good I made it twice), a tomato-cumin raita, rice, coconut-cauliflower rice (my own recipe), zucchini sabzi (basically zucchini with indian spices) and lachedar parathas (layered flatbreads). You guys, everything was amazing. My whole house was filled with fragrance! And my kitchen was a mess, but it was totally worth it.

A korma is basically a curry with yogurt cooked into the sauce, and we love them. This cookbook has 4 different korma recipes in it, so of course I was going to try one. Asma gives a recipe for homemade garam masala but the ingredients proved too complicated for me, so instead I used a garam masala mix I’d bought at a local Indian import store and it was fantastic. Unlike other kormas I’ve had, this one has you fry up the onions separately and eat them crisp on the top. Yum! Best of all, there were leftovers which tasted even better the next day.

The meatball curry is called Anglo-Indian ball curry. You shape the meatballs and then cook them in the sauce itself, not frying or baking them beforehand, and I was worried that my meatballs would fall to slush, but the recipe was easy to do and the instructions easy to follow. I used very lean ground beef and the sauce includes coconut milk, and it was delicious.

The “tamatar raita” was so good. A raita is basically a yogurt sauce, similar to tzatziki. For this one, you buy cumin seeds and roast and then grind them. Mix with greek yogurt, salt, tomato and red onion. I added fresh jalapeños and the result was amazing–cool but with a fresh bite to it.

The layered flatbreads were slightly complicated but ultimately not difficult. They are cooked on the stove top, and are rectangular and layered. They were good, but the following week I made a saffron bread with yeast, and it was amazing. I wish I hadn’t discovered how it tasted warmed with honey for breakfast the next day. It completely destroyed my diet.

The second week, I repeated the meatball curry and tomato-cumin raita, but changed the flatbreads for sheermal (the saffron bread…so soft and yummy) and the zucchini for fried eggplant slices. I added a boor chenni ki kheer, or an Indian rice pudding. This was the only recipe that wasn’t wonderful. It was good but not amazing. I would recommend adding in nuts–the recipe calls for pistachio slivers, but I think even slivered almonds would work. I didn’t have nuts and I think they would have really helped.

Anglo-Indian Ball Curry, from Asma’s Indian Kitchen, p. 108

In short, Asma’s Indian Kitchen is a fantastic cookbook and you’re sure to have a lot of fun exploring with it. There are ample vegetarian and fish recipes, as well as drinks, more breads, and many more curries. The recipes run the gamut from Calcutta street food to dishes served in the Royal Mughlai courts. Founder, author and chef Asma Khan lives in London, where she runs the famous restaurant Darjeeling Express, a restaurant run entirely by women where food is served family-style and people gather to enjoy good food and fellowship with friends that is enhanced by the colors and flavors on the table before them.

Nothing Is Forgotten

April 3, 2019 by Nancy

Nothing is Forgotten is one of those books with a plot that’s hard to describe without giving away major plot points. It takes place in the 1950s, in the shadow of World War II, when the Cold War was going strong yet the Holocaust was still fresh in everyone’s minds. The protagonist is Michael Daniels, who realizes he knows very little about the grandmother he has idolized his whole life.

Michael’s experience as an underground deejay takes him from New Jersey to Europe where he meets Yuli, who is mysterious and beautiful and has her own secrets to keep. He works with the CIA, is chased by the KGB, and has his portrait drawn by Picasso, all while chasing down the truth about his grandmother’s past.

It’s clear Golden did his research for Nothing is Forgotten. Having grown up in New Jersey I was very familiar with the people and locations in the story, but the descriptions of postwar Germany and France also brought those places to life. There are also wartime scenes that are horrific and Nazis, both men and women, who are deplorable.

The story is mostly told from Michael’s point of view but on occasion switches to other minor characters, which was at times jarring and a bit confusing, but serves its purpose. I also got a bit lost in all of the players and how they were all connected; who the good guys and bad guys are isn’t always clear.

But I stayed up way too late reading Nothing is Forgotten, desperate to find out how it ended and if Michael gets the answers he’s looking for, and I recommend this book to fans of World War II fiction or just a good page-turner.

Search Results for: guys read

Free Birds opens November 1

Reviewed in 2015:

Fiction:

Non-Fiction and Memoir:

Reviewed in 2014:

Fiction:

Non-Fiction and Memoir:

Children and Young Adult

Reviewed in 2013:

Fiction:

Non-Fiction and Memoir:

Children and Young Adult

Reviewed in 2012:

Fiction:

Non-Fiction and Memoir:

Children and Young Adult

Reviewed in 2011:

Fiction:

Non-Fiction and Memoir:

Children and Young Adult:

Reviewed in 2010:

Fiction:

Non-Fiction and Memoir:

Children and Young Adult

5 Star Reads, reviewed prior to 2010:

Fiction:

Memoir and Biography:

Nonfiction:

Children’s Books — ages 0 – 3, 3 – 6, 6 – 9:

Children’s Books — ages 9 – 12:

Books for Tweens and Teens:

Recent Posts

Categories

Let’s Socialize

Pinterest is Our FAVORITE!